Folks:
We Californians are in for it once these intense winds blow through the dried up mountains and foothills, potentially knocking down high tension power lines and starting fires. Now we begin to see some notice of the need for “Microgrids” that service communities with local power without the need for PG&E or SCE supplying power over hundreds of miles of dangerous landscapes. Check out this Newsletter from “Microgrid Knowledge”: https://microgridknowledge.com/
Robert Chianese
Breeze:
Every day I observe dangerous situations on the streets of Ventura. Bicycle riders not observing the traffic laws, riding the wrong way on the street, flying through stop signs and red lights. Night riders without lights or reflectors while wearing dark clothing and some without helmets. It’s crazy.
I was twelve years old back in 1953, living in the beach city of Lynn, Massachusetts just north-east of Boston. I worked part-time for my uncle for fifty cents an hour and saved up enough to buy a brand-new bicycle from The Firestone Store for $ 62.50. The bike was equipped with a battery-operated front light, a push-button horn and a red reflector on the back fender. The salesman sent me directly to the police station to register the bike where I purchased a license plate good for a year. It costs one dollar. I was presented with a bicycle road safety booklet.
In those days anyone caught breaking the traffic laws were in deep trouble, especially youngsters. An officer would pull you over, confiscate your bike and give you a ticket. This meant that you had to bring one of your parents to the police station to retrieve your bike. The first ticket was just a warning; after that you paid a fine. I never got a ticket!
Stay safe out there. Always use the bike lanes where possible, signal when changing lanes, do not cover your ears and remember, pedestrians have the right-of-way.
Go online for all important California Bicycle laws.
Skateboards; don’t get me started.
James Francis Gray
Sheldon
Love your coverage and commitment to the community!
I agree and regret the loss of Yolanda Bundy as so many other department heads! The cost of employee turnover is significant, but how to measure. Also, any sense of our history
Mike Merewether
Ventura Breeze
I am writing in response to the Article Pension Funds are under funded by Venturans for Responsible and Efficient Gov’t (VREG)
This article is of course another attack on government pensions, and I would like to respond to some of the inaccurate statements that the author made in this article.
He stated that Public Employees can get generous pensions at age 50 to 55. The only public employees that can retire and receive a pension at these ages are safety personnel. You know, those guys and gals that risk their lives as policeman or fireman. All other public employees have to wait until the normal retirement age to receive a pension.
He claims that all proposals to modify the public pension system for new employees have been rejected. This is also a misleading statement. Before he left office Governor Brown signed new legislation that modified public pensions and changed the funding so that the employees pay more into the system. There were other significant changes. I suggest that the author of this article read up on the changes to the public pension system.
I have often heard that the public pension system is like a mortgage it is an obligation that is not all due all at once and is paid overtime. So this “panic” about the unfunded liability is not the crises that is going to bankrupt the State or the city of Ventura in the forcible future.
Respectfully
Jim R. Crow
PS:Yes, I am receiving a pension from a governmental agency
Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.
~ Lewis Carroll
